Boards

JURASSICA is a private foundation – the Jules Thurmann Foundation – named after the famous Jura naturalist. A geologist and botanist, Jules Thurmann (1804-1855) taught mathematics and natural science at the Collège de Porrentruy. An avid scientific researcher, he discovered the fundamental laws governing the folds of the Jura range and explained their evolution and erosion. His Essai sur les soulèvemens jurassiques du Porrentruy (Essay on Jurassic upheavals around Porrentruy), published between 1832 and 1836, was a landmark work that brought him international fame. It was followed in 1853 by Résumé des lois orographiques générales du système des Monts-Jura (On general orographic laws involving the Jura Mountains) which describes the mountains and their relief. The naturalist also produced notable works on botany, including Enumération des plantes vasculaires du district de Porrentruy (Enumeration of vascular plants in the district of Porrentruy) and Essai de Phytostatique appliqué à la chaîne du Jura et aux contrées voisines (Essay on applied phytostatics for the Jura chain and neighbouring regions), published in 1848 and 1849 respectively.